Books for Belize, Inc., a nonprofit organization, was formed in 2012 by Ken Ferris, a university professor. While on a scuba diving trip to Belize, Ferris noted the many positive attributes of Belize including it’s good diving, potable water, close travel time from the U.S. and many others. However, Ferris also noticed that the educational system in Belize seemed to be lacking. He saw that many communities had schools, but they were limited and undersupplied with only one room for the equivalent of U.S. kindergarten through fourth grade with very few books.
Ferris reached out to a publishing industry contact he knew from his years of teaching to start obtaining educational resources and books for the schools. Ferris discovered Better World books and reached out for donations to help build resources for the area. Over the past few years, Better World Books has donated 21,008 books to the Books for Belize program, which provides books to schools in Belize.
At first, Books for Belize donated to as many schools and communities as possible. Now, the organization is targeting a smaller group of schools, community libraries and churches located in the Stann Creek district of Belize including those pictured below.
Four teachers from Peninsula International Academy (PIA), a small school without about 60 students in grades kindergarten though the equivalent of grade 6 in the U.S, stand in front of the little houses that serve as classrooms. According to Ferris, this is one of the most prestigious schools in the area because all of the teachers have college degrees. Ferris says that most Belizeans do not attend university so it’s unrealistic to require college degrees for teachers. PIA is located in Plancencia Village, a fishing village and tourist destination.
St. John’s Anglican School, like many schools in Belize is “sponsored” by a church. Ferris says, “I put the word ‘sponsored’ in quotation because in fact, other than contributing to the build of the schools, there is really very little continuing funding from from these churches.” St. John’s School has around 240 students and is also located in Placencia Village.
St. Aphonsus School is located in Seine Bight Village, which is also a fishing community. According to Ferris, the village is home to many descendants of the Garifuna tribe in Africa. “Their ancestors were sent to the Caribbean as slaves to work the sugarcane farms, largely by the Spanish. When freed, some Garifuna moved to Belize because it offered greater freedoms,” says Ferris. The facility is minimal without air conditioning, a library, an athletic field or internet. Because the students cannot afford books, the teachers do their best to teach using chalkboards and photocopies.
